Day 70, 100 Happy Days: Breaking My Own Rules

Back in December I decided to blog on one thing that made me happy a day for 100 days straight. My rule has been: If I forget to blog one day (and especially if I just blow it off), I have to go back to day one and start all over again. Needless to say, I've had motivation to keep blogging.
However, it can be a source of stress. I love looking for, finding, or creating things that make me happy, and I like blogging about them. But given my crazy schedule, the blogging part can be just one more thing to fit in before I go to bed. I often get home pretty late, and even when I'm home I tend to work until I drop; which means that sometimes I blog with one eye open. Other times I remember as I'm drifting off to sleep, and have to get out of bed to do it.

Last night I came home wiped out. I decided that sleep was far more important than this blog, so I made a conscious decision to give myself a break, and skip a day of blogging.

My rules, I can break 'em! And it felt damn good.

Day 60, 100 Happy Days: Switcharoonie - New Use for Old Stuff

Operation "Spiff Up Tab's Studio" continues. The past two nights I dragged most of the stuff back into my studio.

It seems silly to me to go through all the effort of clearing the space out and painting every surface, only to put everything back the way it was. This was an opportunity to change things up - no matter how little those thing are.

So, I looked around my studio to see what was and wasn't working, and how I could make the most of what I had laying around. I came up with a switcharoonie so brilliant that I couldn't believe I hadn't thought it up before. I simply swapped shelves - back room (wall) paint shelves with studio bookshelves. I love it! My art books finally look like they deserve some respect. And the paint cans fit perfectly on their new shelves, and it freed up some room in that crowded back room.

Yay switcharoonie!

Also, I loved seeing all my latest Painting Soiree class paintings lined up on the wall. We're only a month into the new year and I have four new paintings to teach!

Day 30, 100 Happy Days: Snow Sculpting

It was absolutely freezing this morning. My phone told me it was 1 degree, but it could have easily been below zero. And I had to get out in it to play with the dog I'm sitting.

I really wanted to mumble and grumble and be miserable about  going out, but instead I made the choice to embrace it. It only makes it harder when I resist what is. And I can do absolutely nothing about the weather! Nor the fact that I had to be out in it. Might as well enjoy it!

So I made a little penguin while I was out there throwing the ball around. Not bad for a first effort. I think it could have been better had the snow had a bit more moisture, and if I could have worked at it for longer than five minutes at a time. (Even with decent gloves, my hands hurt from the cold after a few minutes.)

Making snow art made me happy, as did giving up resistance.

Bonus happy: It never warmed up, but it was good to see the blue sky. 

And of course, there's this kid... ❤

Day 13, 100 Happy Days: Doing It Differently

Bonus happy: good food with a good friend.

Remember that episode of Seinfeld where George decided that he needed to do everything in the exact opposite way than he'd normally do? He started with changing what he ordered for lunch, which led him to introducing himself to a beautiful woman... yadda yadda, next thing you know he's landing a job with the Yankees.

Today, I decided to do things differently. Well... I've been doing them differently all week, really. Which makes me realize that once you make a change, other changes become easier. So I didn't really decide do things differently; it was more of a natural outcropping of doing them differently all week. I must say I'm getting very good results, which of course, makes me happy.

Happiness Project Day 88: Making Art for Art's Sake

I've come to realize that I have a hard time working on certain paintings during Paint Club. Specifically, any painting to which I feel attached. This means that if I'm creating something to sell, it's difficult for me to work on, simply because I find it hard to focus when other people are around. So, I save those pieces for when I'm working alone in my studio (although sometimes it's even hard to focus when I'm alone).

Because of this, Paint Club has become an "art for art's sake" thing for me - which is wonderful. When you create art for a living, it can feel like a job from time to time. It's good to get back to doing art for the fun of it.


This is a collage that I've been fiddling around with for awhile. It's fun to tear paper and paste it on... it's really re-imagining another artist's work. So I cut, tear, paste, draw and paint on this thing. I've got no particular place that I'm going with this, just having fun. And fun = happy.

45 New Things: Shaking It Up

Lanterns at PF Changs

A few weeks ago I wrote about my 45 in 45 list: 45 new things to try in my 45th year. Well it seems like I'm busting out new things every week these days, and sometimes several times a week!

None of these things are earth shattering wild and crazy  "new" things, but they are out of my normal routine. Most of them have to do with food and drink, but hopefully I'll be able to branch out into more adventuresome new things soon.

Still, I've had a really good time shaking things up a bit. Not just because I'm doing new things, but by doing them I get to see more of my friends. Yay friends!

Here are the new things I've done so far:
(At least the one's I've remembered to write down...)

1. Had dinner at Sweet Ginger in Cherry Creek
2. I took a Shamanic Journey
3. Drinks at the Front Porch
4. Karaoke at Benders
5. Lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries
6. Drinks and jazz at Jazz at Jacks
7. Dinner at Annie's on Colfax
8. Pretended to be married with kids to get away from a crystal salesman at the Taste of Colorado. That was definitely a new experience!
   
9. Went to Oktoberfest - fun!
   
10. Took a Fresh City Life class at DPL - made little terrariums.
    
11. Happy Hour with Duggio - divine!
    
12. Tried the sweet potato fries at Smash Burger instead of the regular Smash Fries - that was a mistake. But at least I tried, eh? 
13. Wings at Madison Street - delish!
    
14. Went to a student produced play at CSU - it rocked!
15. Appetizers at Bar Louie - yummy McYum-yum!
16. Dinner at PF Changs - the lettuce wraps were every bit as good as I'd heard!
17. Had a drink at the Elephant Bar... some sort of raspberry lemon delish martini
18. Tea at Wystone's in Belmar
19. Karaoke at Ogden Street South (which is now my favorite karaoke bar...which are words I never thought I'd say...)
20. Sang my first hard rock song at a karaoke bar: Cult of Personality. That was a lot of fun, but I must say that my 45 year old neck did not like me banging my head like I did when I was 23 and the song first came out! But I do still LOVE this song! Here's the video - thankfully it's Living Colour's version, not mine... :)

Edit: I never finished blogging about the 45 new things, but I definitely completed them. My life spun out at a crazy pace and I ended up in NYC in the spring of 2012, which took care of an awful lot of the 45 new things.
On that list included trying Japanese ice cream (not a fan), Polish food, going to my first cathedral (SO amazing!), visiting SOHO galleries, spending a day in the city on my own... so many more things. Stories for another time. 

45 in 45

I turned 45 in last month. Shocking. I'm not sure where the last ten years went, and worse yet, people older than me says that time will only speed up!! Yikes, I'd better get busy.

This year I've decided to do 45 new things in my 45th year. Yes, that is a lot, I'm well aware. But I've always been kind of a "tried and true" girl. I go to the same restaurants and order the same dishes. I rarely venture out and do new things; I think its because I hate to be disappointed. Yeah yeah, I know that no one likes to be disappointed. But I seem to avoid it like the plague. So I figure it's about time to risk disappointment and shake things up.

I'm still working on my 45 in 45 list, and am open to suggestions. Please make them things that will NOT have a good chance causing death (I'm damn sure not going to jump out of an airplane!), are very affordable (unless you're buying...lol) and are in the Denver area, or a quick road-trip away (again, if someone wants to buy me a plane ticket...). These can be as easy as trying a new restaurant or a new dish. This is NOT a bucket list, or about conquering fears (although those may overlap). This is just about doing NEW things.

So far here is what I have on my list of possibilities (in no particular order):

  1. High speed go carts
  2. Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge
  3. LaCross or soccer game (spectator)
  4. Snowmobiling
  5. Go to a wine tasting
  6. Volunteer at a shelter
  7. Teach Children's Hospital kids to paint
  8. Go to a parade
  9. Visit a museum that I haven't visited
  10. Horse-drawn carriage
  11. Ride on a Harley
  12. Colorado winery tour
  13. Hay ride
  14. Needle felting class
  15. Read a book of poetry
  16. Visit a wildlife sanctuary
  17. Singing bowl - or gong healing
  18. DPL Fresh City Life class  Done!
  19. Participate in a flash mob
  20. WWF
  21. Vegas
  22. Cirque show
  23. tattoo
  24. Sing at Dazzle friday lunch
  25. Go to a show at Lannie's Clocktower
  26. Check out that hotdog place on Colfax
  27. Oktoberfest Done!

  28. Sleigh ride
  29. Corn maze
  30. Parade of Homes
  31. Give blood
  32. Coors brewery tour
  33. Cave of the Winds
  34. Butterfly Pavillion
  35. Aquarium
  36. Denver Mint tour
  37. Visit a wildlife sanctuary
  38. Chamberlin Observatory 
  39. ???

New things that I have done so far in my 45th year:

1. Dinner at Sweet Ginger
2. Took a Shamanic Journey
3. Drinks at the Front Porch
4. Karaoke at Benders
5. Lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries
6. Drinks at Jazz at Jacks
7. Dinner at Annie's  
8. Pretended to be married with kids to get away from a crystal salesman
9. Went to Oktoberfest
10. Took a Fresh City Life class at DPL
11. Happy Hour with Duggio
12. Tried the sweet potato fries at Smash Burger instead of the regular Smash Fries - that was a mistake. But at least I tried, eh?

Where does the city meet Mother Nature? In art, of course!

"Chicago" Tabetha Landt Hastings 30"x40"

Sometimes I feel torn between my love for cities, and my love nature. Between the grandeur of tall buildings mixed with the urban vibe, and the serene beauty of the forest. My art tends to be either/or... I've got my nature paintings (which mainly tend to be trees) and my city buildings.

Well, a few days ago I decided to let those worlds collide. Partially because I got a new canvas in a size that I've never painted on before. It's long and narrow (I'm guessing it must be 48"x12"), and I'm finding that changing up the canvas size can really shake you out of a routine.

"Forest for the Trees" Tabetha Landt Hastings

My new painting is still in it's first stages, and therefore a bit camera shy. It's been trying to decide whether it was the city taking over nature, or nature reclaiming her ground. The struggle is in me of course, because I want them to coexist.

As luck would have it, I came across an artist today who combines city and nature so beautifully, that I just had to share. Also, I'm wild about her technique - she doesn't use paintbrushes, but instead she squeezes the paint out of bottles, and tips the canvas to get the paint where she wants it. Her name is Amy Shackleton, and you can check out her work here.

Below is a time lapse video of Amy in action. It's pretty amazing to watch! I finally noticed that there were words on the screen in my third time watching it!